Thank you so much Christine for working with me in SI... It really helped. I passed the class with a B (Fall 2014), and I just wanted you to know you are appreciated for the work you do. Thank you, and best of luck to you!!

-Vanessa Kokoszka

I would like to take a minute to thank you personally. I admire your dedication and hard work. You have consistently proven your commitment throughout this semester (Fall 2014) by sacrificing your own grades to make sure others better their own. I truly am sorry that I was not more available to take advantage of your generosity, but I do want you to know that it did not go unnoticed. You will be very successful...thank you again.

-Wanda Centeno

Mr. Devonta Johnson was my SI leader during the semester of Fall 2012. I know for a fact that attending those SI sessions after the period of midterms improved my classroom and testing performance in critical thinking. Mr. Johnson made it much easier to understand this course for each learning student. He recognized the different levels of education within each student and worked with us. Mr. Johnson also was very flexible with the session hours and was more than willing to fit sessions around each student's schedule. After attending SI sessions with Mr. Johnson my classroom grade improved two letter grades. I would recommend anyone that is taking this course to attend SI sessions with Mr. Johnson, he implemented nothing but an excellent job.

-Alaska Hawkins

Supplemental Instruction has helped me in ways that I would have not imagined. Knowing that there is someone there to help me in statistics was a ton of relief throughout the semester. Not only was my supplemental instructor a leader but a student; the ability to relate was comforting. With multiple sessions, I gained confidence in my ability to obtain formulas and statistics as a whole. I ended up gaining an 'A' in the course and I am thankful for the experience.

-Former CRJC 200 Student

What We Do

Overview

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a method of academic support that has proven effective in improving student academic success in courses with traditionally high dropout and withdrawal rates. Established initially in 1973 at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, this model of academic support was designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an “Exemplary Educational Program,” and is used in more than 900 colleges and universities in 12 countries.

In this model of academic support, courses with historically high withdrawal and failure rates are targeted for academic support. Student leaders, who have proven their competence in the targeted courses and have been approved by the faculty, are assigned as Supplemental Instruction Leaders. After receiving appropriate training in learning styles and study skills, SI leaders attend meetings of the targeted class and take notes and, working in consultation with the course instructor, conduct supplemental instruction sessions each week. In these sessions, SI leaders review notes, conduct practice quizzes, and carry out additional assignments to reinforce the knowledge and skills required by the class.

A significant advantage of SI over other academic support models is that it targets high-risk courses instead of high-risk students. Since it is open to all students in high-risk courses, it does not have the stigma that is sometimes attached to tutoring and academic support. SI promotes increased student collaboration and reinforces good study habits, which can have a positive impact on a students’ overall academic performance.

The U.S. Department of Education has validated each of the following claims about the impact of SI on student academic success:

Students who participate in Supplemental Instruction earn higher mean final grades that those who do not participate, regardless of ethnicity or prior academic achievement of the students.

Students who participate in SI have a lower percentage of withdrawals and final grades of D or F than students who do not participate in SI, regardless of ethnicity or prior academic achievement of the students.

Students who participate in SI have higher retention and graduation rates than those who do not participate, regardless of ethnicity or prior academic achievement of the students.

A study conducted at the University of Texas – Austin was designed to determine if the gains attributed to SI are the result of student motivation. Perhaps the students motivated to attend SI are students who would do well in the class without additional assistance. The study concluded that, “…attendance at SI continues to predict course grade even after controlling for student motivation.”

Keys to a Successful SI Program

Students selected as Supplemental Instruction leaders must be good students, who are willing to fulfill all of their responsibilities.

SI leaders must receive appropriate training and their work must be monitored carefully.

Faculty members must give effective direction to the SI leader(s) assigned to them. This includes giving SI leaders specific instructions on the material (quizzes, concepts, demonstrations) to be covered in the SI sessions. 

Faculty members must regularly encourage and/or require students to participate in SI sessions. The program will fail without regular and consistent efforts by faculty to encourage students to take advantage of SI sessions. We must make special efforts to encourage and persuade poor-performing students to participate in SI sessions. (Otherwise, the program will not help the students who need it the most.)

Role of Faculty Members

Participation by faculty members in SI is completely voluntary. Those who agree to participate will be expected to:

Help identify qualified students to serve as SI leaders.

Meet for one hour each week with the SI leader to give directions on information, concepts, and questions to be covered in the SI session each week. Information covered during SI sessions should reinforce the most essential and difficult information covered in the class during the week.

Encourage and persuade students, especially students performing poorly in the class, to attend SI sessions.

Permit the SI leader to announce in class the times and locations for SI instruction.

Provide data to the SI Coordinator regarding student attendance at SI and final course grades.

Assessment

The SI program will be assessed by comparing final course grades to student participation in SI. The percentage of students with final grades of A, B, or C will be compared to the percentages prior to the implementation of SI. Faculty, SI leaders, and participating students will be asked to evaluate the program.